Recent advances in ultra-high-power lasers, including the free-electron laser, and impressive airborne demonstrations of laser weapons systems, such as the airborne laser, have shown the enormous potential of laser technology to revolutionize 21st century warfare. Military Laser Technology for Defense, includes only unclassified or declassified information. The book focuses on military applications that involve propagation of light through the atmosphere and provides basic relevant background technology. It describes high-power lasers and masers, including the free-electron laser. Further, Military Laser Technology for Defense addresses how laser technology can effectively mitigate six of the most pressing military threats of the 21st century: attack by missiles, terrorists, chemical and biological weapons, as well as difficulty in imaging in bad weather and threats from directed beam weapons and future nuclear weapons. The author believes that laser technology will revolutionize warfare in the 21st century.

A number of experiments carried out in the last two decades, have led to the development of lasers as the next generation weapon system. A number of defense companies are carrying out research in this field and have achieved varying degrees of progress in constructing a high energy weapon. Laser technology has observed great scientific developments and engineering improvements that make it usable for various commercial, industrial, medical and scientific applications. There is variety of lasers available in the market today with different wavelengths, spectral bandwidth, power levels, operating efficiencies and temporal characteristics. This increasing maturity of lasers and compact optical systems has enhanced their capabilities for military operations. Military officials have indubitably always been interested in laser technology, even before the first laser was invented. Especially, since these devices can bring technological revolution in warfare, when used as range- finders, target designation, sensors, active illumination, data relay devices, directed energy weapons, weather modifier and much more. Military Laser Technology and Systems presents comprehensive coverage in defense oriented research and development for the past twenty years, focusing primarily on applications of lasers for military systems. It provides an insight into the physical principles of the device technology that underpins many laser-based military systems in one form or another. From this knowledge a deeper understanding of the fundamental requirements and the potential performance, as well as limitations of such systems may be assessed, given the appropriate operational parameters. The task of this book is to focus the interests of laser physics community to the mono-module disk laser geometry, which is possible now for implementation. The experience of designing strategic laser systems in the previous years and a strong belief in the attainability of the goal in the development of high-power laser weapons help to significantly accelerate the pace of work in the field of new technologies. Brining solid-state lasers to megawatt powers takes time and considerable resources. This book will be of valuable to students and practicing engineers providing with practical study of laser applications, used by the military, to carry out tactical operations on the ground or space-based platforms.

This book offers a concise review of quantum radar theory. Our approach is pedagogical, making emphasis on the physics behind the operation of a hypothetical quantum radar. We concentrate our discussion on the two major models proposed to date: interferometric quantum radar and quantum illumination. In addition, this book offers some new results, including an analytical study of quantum interferometry in the X-band radar region with a variety of atmospheric conditions, a derivation of a quantum radar equation, and a discussion of quantum radar jamming. This book assumes the reader is familiar with the basic principles of non-relativistic quantum mechanics, special relativity, and classical electrodynamics. Our discussion of quantum electrodynamics and its application to quantum radar is brief, but all the relevant equations are presented in the text. In addition, the reader is not required to have any specialized knowledge on classical radar theory. Table of Contents: Introduction / The Photon / Photon Scattering / Classical Radar Theory / Quantum Radar Theory / Quantum Radar Cross Section / Conclusions

"The introduction of directed energy weapons into twenty-first century naval forces has the potential to change naval tactics as fundamentally as the transition from sail to steam. Recent advances in directed energy technologies have made the development of both high-energy laser and high-power microwave weapons technically feasible. This study examines the potential adaptation of such weapons for the defense of naval forces. This study considers options for using directed energy systems on naval vessels in the context of the U.S. maritime strategy and emerging threats in international politics. The framework for this study is an integrated system of microwave devices, high-energy lasers, and surfact-to-air missiles which are evaluated in terms of their ability to enhance anti-ship cruise missile defense, tactical air defense, and fast patrol boat defense. This study also examines collateral capabilities, such as non-lethal defensive measures and counter-surveillance operations. The global proliferation of increasingly sophisticated weapons and the expanding demands placed on its ever-smaller navy require the United States to reassess its current approach to fleet operations. This study concludes that directed energy technology has made sufficient progress to warrant the development of sea-based weapons systems for deployment in the first two decades of the next century. For operational and technical reasons, a Nimitz class aircraft carrier may be the preferred platform for the initial implementation of directed energy weapons. If successful, the robust self-defense capability provided by directed energy weapons will permit a fundamental shift in carrier battle group operations from a massed, attrition-oriented defense to a more dynamic, dispersed offense."--Page iv.

Author Martel, along with a dozen other contributors, explores the ways in which new defense technologies could change the nature of war and the basic foundation of national and international security. Photos.

This book presents a collection of contributions to a workshop on "Long-teY'fr/ Development of NATO's Conventional Forrward Defense" to which the GERMAN STRATEGY FORUM (DSF*» had invited some 50 systems analysts and defense experts of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany and the SHAPE Technical Centre. Held in Bonn from 2 to 4 December 1984, this workshop was to provide a forum for the dis cussion, at a non-political expert level and in the light of available analysis results, of proposals for the improvement of NATO's conventional defense capabilities. In addition, it aimed at arriving at some recommenda tions as to which of these proposals deserve to be studied further and what methodological deficiencies must be alleviated and information gaps closed for an adequate assessment. The idea to organize this workshop has been discussed ever since 1980 with several defense systems analysts in the US and the UK who shared the opinion that, with a view to the immense global build-up of the Soviet threat on one hand and the stringency of defense resources in most NATO countries on the other, there is no reason that could permit us to dismiss any proposal promising improvement without careful study.

This book delves deeply into the real-world technologies behind the ‘directed energy weapons’ that many believe exist only within the confines of science fiction. On the contrary, directed energy weapons such as high energy lasers are very real, and this book provides a crash course in all the physical and mathematical concepts that make these weapons a reality. Written to serve both scientists researching the physical phenomena of laser effects, as well as engineers focusing on practical applications, the author provides worked examples demonstrating issues such as how to solve for heat diffusion equation for different boundary and initial conditions. Several sections are devoted to reviewing and dealing with solutions of diffusion equations utilizing the aid of the integral transform techniques. Ultimately this book examines the state-of-the-art in currently available high energy laser technologies, and suggests future directions for accelerating practical applications in the field.“br>/div

Author: National Research Council,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,Board on Physics and Astronomy,Committee on a Scientific Assessment of Free-Electron Laser Technology for Naval Applications

Publisher: National Academies Press

ISBN: 0309126894

Category: Technology & Engineering

Page: 66

View: 8585

This book presents a scientific assessment of free-electron-laser technology for naval applications. The charge from the Office of Naval Research was to assess whether the desired performance capabilities are achievable or whether fundamental limitations will prevent them from being realized. The present study identifies the highest-priority scientific and technical issues that must be resolved along the development path to achieve a megawatt-class free-electron laser. In accordance with the charge, the committee considered (and briefly describes) trade-offs between free-electron lasers and other types of lasers and weapon systems to show the advantages free-electron lasers offer over other types of systems for naval applications as well as their drawbacks. The primary advantages of free-electron lasers are associated with their energy delivery at the speed of light, selectable wavelength, and all-electric nature, while the trade-offs for free-electron lasers are their size, complexity, and relative robustness. Also, Despite the significant technical progress made in the development of high-average-power free-electron lasers, difficult technical challenges remain to be addressed in order to advance from present capability to megawatt-class power levels.